Succotash In A Nutshell

Succotash, the Comedy Soundcast Soundcast is a show that features other comedy soundcasts (AKA "podcasts") and in an effort to not only expose audiences to the wide range of comedy offerings available, but also to broaden the appeal of podcasts in general. Hosted by Marc Hershon, whose background in the worlds of comedy, writing and product naming gives him the chops necessary to come off sounding like a blustering know-it-all.
The show is produced and engineered by Joe Paulino out of Sausalito's Studio P, "The Home Of The Hit." Our associate producer is Tyson Saner, and our booth announcer is Bill Heywatt.

It's been roughly a year this month since I started Succotash and it's been an very interesting journey just getting to this point. Originally I foresaw us moving into a weekly model but as you can see, with us just now getting to Epi23, we didn't even get to a pair of shows a month. I've been working on streamlining the workflow, however, and hopes are that the remainder of 2012 will see more Succotash more often!

Dana Carvey, Tom Carvey & Frank Cronin

For the third time, Dana Carvey graces us in Studio P ("The Home of The Hit!") and he's not alone. Frank Cronin is a globetrotting Irishman, capturing his journeys on video and posting on YouTube on his Glowpunk channel.

Currently in the United States for as long as his visa holds out, he's going to travel the country with his video camera, grabbing as much Americana as his hard drive will hold. This is Frank's very first podcast appearance, which makes this a Succotash exclusive. And, in another excloo, we also have Tom Carvey, in the studio — Dana's breakdancing teenage son. (Although there's no breakdancing in the show, Frank WILL have a video up soon featuring Tom's crew doing their thing.)

Early in this show, I feature an audio clip from THIS video by Frank, called Cliff Jump. It's all about plunging off rocky ledges into the freezing cold North Atlantic on the coast of Ireland. Here's the video in its entirety...

Even with all of these guests, we got in a pile of comedy podcast clips AND our Burst O' Durst. Of course, the show also runs a full hour and a half. (Try THAT on terrestrial radio!) Here's who we have this time out:

PF Wilson uses his tape recorder to capture life's little moments (TV, too) and then the clips he selects are the springboards for commentary and sketches. This particular taste deals with a not-too-bright, pooch-stealing cable guy. The show's an inventive idea.Get more nuggets from the source, at either http://pfradio.podbean.com/ or on iTunes.

I've referred to guest Frank Cronin as Succotash's Irish interpreter in the past but he earns his keep this show as we spin three clips from Belfast's The Gee & Jay Show. These lads - Gavin and James - host a rollicking time and the more listen the more you understand. For more immersion, hit http://geeandjayshow.com/ or iTunes.

This new podcast on the Nerdistsite is hosted by actress/comedian/SF Sketchfest organizer Janet Varney. More conversation than interview, Janet goes one-on-one with a female guest who, like Janet, is in the entertainment world. In this clip, her guest is comedian Natasha Leggero. You can get extra helpings of the JV Club over at http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/the-jv-club/ or on iTunes.

This podcast, hosted by Jay V and Brady, started back in 2005, making it one of the earliest podcasts around. But then it disappeared two years later, only to reappear last year. Simple premise: Jay V answers his mail. One letter, one episode. They rarely run over 10 minutes. The hot button topic this clip? Zombies. More? Go: http://www.blubrry.com/jayvmail/, iTunes or Stitcher Smart Radio.

DQYD is a new show, with about a dozen epi's now. And it's hosted by friend-of-SuccotashEd Wallick, who continues to sharpen his wit on bits of rant.Turns out that Ed doesn't like it when dismembered human feet wash up on his nearby beach. Who knew? Find Ed lurking at http://dontquityourdaycast.com/ as well as on iTunes.

Ben, Keith and Howard (they put the i's in Idiot…) are back for a second time, this time because one of the boy's has scribbled a children's book. Spoiler Alert: It sucks. And the others are only too happy to critique it. More in store at http://www.iamidiotcentral.com/ or on iTunes.

We haven't featured Sean Green's little slice of podcastlandsince one of our very first episodes, so it's good to be back in touch. And there's a great story by his guest Tess Barker about when her dad tried to scare her straight. Didn't work. But funny getting there. Drop into the Green Room at http://seantgreen.com/, iTunes or Stitcher.

These former radio guys- Thom and Jeff - have found a new lease on broadcasting life by jumping into a podcast. In this clip, they're playing a little something they like to call The Fuck No Game. Get more fun features and laughs at http://thethomandjeffshow.com/ or on iTunes.

This time around, our in-house political pundit Will Durst points out how we can expect to watch Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney morph his performance and perspective into something that an unsuspecting moderate or liberal might fall for...if they were brain dead. Get more Durst at http://WillDurst.com or catch his tweet on Twitter @WillDurst.

Things to remember: Rate Succotash on iTunes! Your rankings and reviews help to push us out into the light where more people can see us! Also, click on the Donate button on the website to contribute to the Save Our Hard Drive Drive! Will less than a hundred bucks so far, we may never get this drive fixed and the trapped interviews off of it. so give, won't you? And buy some merch at the Succotashery! Just click the link on our blog page.

I gotta tell you - trying to pull a podcast together with a fulltime job while moving and having sketchy Internet connectivity is harder than it sounds. Apologies for the gap between 'casts. And for the sound quality on this particular epi. Not only was I NOT in Studio P with ace producer/engineer Joe Paulino, but our featured interview with comedian/actor-turned-director/producer Jordan Brady turned out to be really echo-y, which I didn't discover until after we were all done. And then my audio wraparounds during the show were recorded late at night and I had to be quiet, so the whole episode sounds like it's been commentated by a golf announcer.

That rundown get you in the mood to listen?

Audio weirdness aside, this is a fun interview with Jordan, who I first met years ago during the half year he lived in San Francisco during his life as a road comic. He's gone on to direct some films, some TV and a boatload of commercials, but what put him back on the comedy radar bigtime was his release of I Am Comic, a documentary about being a comedian in and around the real world. We talk about that and a whole lot more in this chat.

Jordan's "Empty Nest" Residuals Check

Jordan is a big podcast fan and we not only talk about some of his faves but we play a few clips from them, too. Plus I've got some new finds that I'm happy to share with you in this episode. Throw in a classic Henderson's Pants spot, our Burst O' Durst with Will Durst and you've got yourself a massive helping of Succotash (the episode runs more than an hour and fifteen minutes.)

From a watering hole in north Texas comes Brian, Kyle, Terrill, Mike, and Curtis — the Pub Guys. These guys have logged more than 90 episodes, all from taverns and they've definitely created their own style and format. Their listeners become contributors to the show (and sometime even co-hosts), so check 'em out on iTunes and Stitcher. They also are big supporters of podcasts, so drop by their homesite at PubGuys.com if you want some recommendations on even more ear munchies.

I just discovered this quirky funfest, hosted by Travis and Brandi, and liked what I heard enough to give them a review over at This Week In Comedy Podcasting on Splitsider.com. Turns out that Travis is the son of comedian/actor Blake Clark, who drops in to bump memories with his son about raising a family when you make most of your living on the road. They're 40+ epis in, so get yourself more tiny and odd at TOCpod.com or on iTunes.

A lot of the podcasts I find on my own but we're getting more and more pings on Twitter from podcasters themselves. I'd been following the tweets of comedy writer Darren Staley (aka @Crobama) and didn't realize he was the host of this homegrown interview-based podcast. Check out his homesite for the backstory on the show's title. And to hear more, he does his show on Blog Talk Radioor you can scoop it up later at iTunes.

Guest Jordan Brady is a big fan of this fast-growing podcast on the Nerdist network and so am I. Host Pete Holmes is a comedian and the voice of the ETrade baby on TV - how's that for a pair of credits? He mostly manic in his p'cast and his guest often seem to get caught up in his energy. One guy who is too centered to be swayed is Larry Miller, who guests on this clip. Check out YMIW over at Nerdist.com or on iTunes.

The most popularshow in podcasting today? Quite possibly, and with good reason. Host Marc Maron knows his way around an interview and usually, if its a comedy contemporary, he can dig pretty deep (often fueled by an ancient jealously the host has for the success of others.) In this case he's got nothing but adoration for the unassuming, comically brilliant Fred Willard. There's so much more over at WTFpod.com, iTunes and you might even consider picking yourself Maron's smartphone app for even more goodies.

There was a time when we weren't actively listening to DLM, way back after Epi9 when host Doug Benson had sent me a message requesting we not play clip from it because he didn't think the humor translated well in short chunks. AFter seeing guest Jordan Brady tweet about it being one of his favorite p'casts (and my subsequent followup as to why we don't feature it on Succotash), I received another message from Benson that, in essence, gave his blessing to play a clip once in a while. So we're back! And this is a rollicking sample, feature Doug with guests Pete Holmes, Rob Huebel, Kumail Nanjiani and Matt Myra.

That's everything I could cram in this time around. Hope you enjoy it - sound problems aside - and that you remember to pass the Succotash!